季風人文講壇第73期：James Zimmerman

The Peking Express: The Bandits Who Stole a Train, Stunned the West, and Broke the Republic of China

with James Zimmerman & Phelim Kine

September 25, 2025｜In English

The Peking Express is a true story about China's great train robbery of 1923 and full of banditry, political intrigue, heroism, and a reflection of the excesses of the Warlord Era in early 20th century China. The crisis - covered extensively in newspapers around the world - lasted for six weeks while the bandits moved the hostages across the Shandong countryside with the Chinese army in pursuit.

About the Speaker 

James M. Zimmerman is a Beijing-based author and lawyer who has lived and worked in China for more than 25 years. He is among China's leading foreign lawyers and represents companies and individuals confronted with the political and legal complexities of doing business in Mainland China. He is the former four-term chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China.

The event was moderated by POLITICO's Washington-based China correspondent Phelim Kine who writes on Indo-Pacific-related news for the Global Security team and is host of the weekly China Watcher newsletter.